Arsene Wenger’s much-maligned zipper was a direct correlation to the team’s performances the past few weeks: a constant struggle, a lack of shape and pieces fitting together and frustration in the lack of consistency. However, today we ended up getting the result we deserved after several missed opportunities throughout the game. The line-up changes paid immediate dividends with Santi out wide, Coquelin as the defensive midfielder and Jack playing in the hole. Jack Wilshere’s capped off an inspiring performance with a goal in the 86th and rewarded a full 90-minute collective team effort from the squad.

Unlike past games this season, Arsenal started the game off with purpose and urgency. Despite Swansea’s immediate pressure, we quickly established the tempo and our passing game, thus forcing Swansea’s defense to turnover the ball on numerous occasions. However, some questionable defending eventually led to a Swansea scoring opportunity that was fortunately wide of the mark by Graham. Arsenal was able to win back possession of the ball many times, but our passing and decision making in the final third left much to be desired. Our defense would be tested once again as Sagna had a mental lapse and allowed Routledge to sneak in behind him. Luckily, Vermaelen covered him and neatly broke up Swansea’s offensive push.

The game continued with Jack driving our team forward and Diaby fluidly joining the play with him, but we still had issues penetrating Swansea’s well organized defense. Once again, Swansea took advantage of some poor marking by our back four and Bartley was able to turn a free header that beat everyone but the crossbar. A little later, our defense was again tested and Vermaelen and Mertesacker were caught too far apart, but Vermaelen once again saved the day with a last minute diving tackle. Despite all the defensive lapses, we dominated possession and were really pressuring Swansea when they had control of the ball. Our best scoring opportunities in the half came from an early Theo cross to Giroud, who really should have done more with the header; and from a corner, where the ball somehow landed on Vermaelen’s foot who was denied by a diving Vorm.

Arsenal began the second half rather sluggishly and failed to build further on a positive performance in the first half. Swansea looked more composed and settled into the game, until Diaby intercepted a pass and sent a quick long ball to a wide-open Theo who wasted his breakaway chip shot wide. From here on out, Arsenal were by far the better side and completely dominated possession and scoring opportunities. After numerous missed opportunities by Theo, Giroud, Wilshere, Santi and Vermaelen, we were finally able to get on the mark late in the game. Santi delivered a nice pass to Giroud who beautifully one-touched it to Jack, who put Swansea away for good.

Player ratings:

Szczesny (8.0) – Did not concede any goals, was pretty much non-existent as Swansea barely threatened and took no risks on chances that were somewhat on goal. Gives our team plenty of confidence when he’s in goal.

Gibbs (8.5) – I thought Gibbs was one of our top players today. He was often isolated on the left hand side with Santi drifting centrally a lot and was still able to influence the game on his own out wide. Notably, he won the ball back in the 2nd half against three Swansea players near their corner flag and produced some great runs down the flank.

Mertesacker (7.0) – Questionable defensive coverage in the first half that almost led to a Bartley goal, in addition to another where Vermaelen fortunately saved both with a crucial diving block. Aside from those defensive lapses in the first half, Mertesacker was again a steadying presence for the back four and always makes the easy, simple passes.

Vermaelen (8.0) – Two crucial defensive plays where he denied Swansea clear chances at goal. He also found himself in the right places off corners on several occasions and while it would have been a delight to see him score that sitter at the end of the first half, he is a defender after all.

Sagna (8.0) – Recovered well from his early defensive lapse and actually stripped Routledge of the ball on the same play, before clearing the ball out. He pushed forward very effectively and linked up well with our offense. Produced a beautiful cross that Walcott slightly missed and unfortunately hit the post. Had the presence of mind to run all the way across the field to challenge Graham and cover for Gibbs in the second half, when he saw that Santi was central and Gibbs was on his own.

Coquelin (8.0) – He played a very aggressive game and always had a move forward mentality to his game. Produced a nice effort on goal in the first half and was fairly involved offensively. This performance should give him some necessary confidence going forward, but he did fall victim to several turnovers. However, I believe the turnovers are a result of his lack of playing time, opposed to a knock on his ability.

Diaby (8.5) – What a difference one game makes. His performance today was a stark contrast to the one vs. Man $hitty. He established his presence in the center of the park early on and won numerous headers, made several good runs into space and was making all the right passes (had one poor pass in the 2nd half and a poor first touch in the 1st but was pretty much perfect). His quick long pass to Theo suggested that he hadn’t missed a game all year. If he can continue this form and stay healthy, Arsenal will be a force to be reckoned with.

Wilshere (9.5) – There isn’t much more that can be said about this lad that hasn’t already been said. He almost played a perfect game and gave our offense the shape that TA desires, and was so influential on his driving runs and ability to penetrate Swansea’s well organized back four. His goal in the 86th minute relieved Gooners all over the world and I’m sure everyone will agree that he, of all people, deserved to score today. The only knock I can maybe place on him was a turnover of a Szczesny pass in the 1st half, and over-dribbling at times in the opponent’s box that led to lost scoring opportunities or deflections once he did decide to shoot (Chico’s block in the 2nd half). Aside from that, he was just fantastic and boy I’m relieved to have him back and performing at the level he currently is at.

Cazorla (8.5) – He was much more effective from the wing position and seems to thrive in a secondary creative role. Santi gives us a different look out wide and stretched the defense in the second half with his passing and fluid transitions with Jack. A lot of space opened up for him because of the attention Jack was commanding and Santi often drew away defenders himself, opening scoring opportunities for Giroud. His defensive contributions often go unnoticed, but his sneaky ability to win back the ball cleanly is a joy to watch. I would have liked Santi to be more deadly in the final third; though you can’t really fault him as he almost always makes the right decisions, even in tight spaces. Also, he drifted far too centrally, almost to the right side of the pitch at times, and he’ll have to be more disciplined in his positional play against a top team like Chelsea this weekend (Gibbs won’t be able to cover Ivanovic and Mata on his own).

Giroud (8.5) – He always gives a full effort every time he’s on the pitch and his ability to hold up play is something Arsenal has not been blessed with in past seasons. He had several good scoring chances on goal, but seemed to often shoot right at Vorm. However, he has a knack for getting himself into good positions and his one-touch pass that set up Wilshere was beautifully done. Also of note was that Giroud’s determination regularly caused Swansea defenders to rush passes which eventually led to turnovers further down the field.

Walcott (7.0) – My rating of Theo’s game might be harsh, but if you’re auditioning for the striker role, you better finish off the majority of chances that you’re given. Despite getting himself into good positions to score, he wasted three chances wide, shot another right at Graham’s chest and missed a flick on header that hit the post. Fortunately, all can be forgiven after Jack scored late, but I’ve come to expect better finishing from Walcott. The end product wasn’t there today, but he certainly worked hard in his defensive responsibilities to help Sagna on the right.

Overall, a great team performance and Swansea were fortunate to not have lost this game by a larger margin. If we can continue to maintain high pressure and dominate the midfield, we should definitely see more positive results like this one in the future. Today’s line-up was what many of us have been calling for and I’m excited to see Jack dictate play and excel in the advanced midfield position. Here’s calling for some consistency going forward and a healthy squad.

disagree with the ratings and also the evaluation of the players. with such high ratings we should have won by at least 3 goals. coquelin , diaby and cazorla were too pedestrian in the midfield. not winning the ball back and giving away posession. girould and walcott looked like lower division strikers missing sitters.

Hi lance, TG tends to score players quite high on average. I reckon if a player has an eight he has done all he had to do in his position; anything less and he has not performed to expected standards, and anything higher he has done better than expected in his role.

I don’t agree with you assessment of Coquelin, Diaby and Cazorla at all, but hey maybe we watched another match! 🙂

Nice post TG..
I love when Willshere played as an AM..
We must did it long before.. 2 AM is better than 1..
Even if We play 4-3-3.. Arteta can do his job alone.. all We need is more Attacking and create more goals..
And I said before.. lastnight Willshere was more confident to go forward because he knew he can count on 2 DM.. Diaby and Coquelin.. And both of them pay his trusted with good performed also..
Happy ending..

I think We must keep this 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 formula.. And I am sure that Podolski.. Walcott.. Giroud.. Gervinho can all play in this pisition.. Wenger already tested them..

So.. next target is Chelsea..
I don’t know why.. they seem more weaker at home.. hehe..
And if We win again Chelsea.. at the end of this month We will be at fourth.. hehe..
Go Gunners..

very good post match review TG, I also saw the game in a similar light.

I would take 1 off of Diaby and Walcott. I don’t know if i would because I thought they weren’t as good, or because my subconscious is annoyed at Diaby for always being injured, and because Walcott is not delivering on his demands.

Loved the game. We played all over them, despite what the papers are saying today.

I think if Jack asked to borrow my mrs for a night I’d have to think about it! He’s just that good!

I Love Diaby, and for a guy coming back after yet another injury set back he needs match time.

He is such an athlete as well as being a superb technical player, that I have my fingers, my toes and my eyes crossed hoping he stays injury free, so both he and we fans see the best of him very soon.

I also agree with you regarding Cazzor and Le Coq.

Cazzorla was industrious and worked very well with the magnificent Jack, (and by the way I think Jack deserves Oz’s Mrs too) but he could well do with a short break from the EPL.

I have not always thought Le Coq, who is also a clever, technical player, was big or strong enough for the Premiership, but he went a long way to proving me wrong last night!!

All in all, particularly in the 2nd half, again, it was a good team performance, but I hate that ‘zonal marking’ system — we just do not have the players in defence to make it work.

Unfortunately, I am going to commit sacrilege again by saying Per has joined Theo in my ‘just all right’ box, he cannot or will not jump, and is as slow as the Queen Mary when trying to turn, and when he does he has very little pace. His ability to read the game is second to none, and has saved us on a number of occasions, but I wonder if it is enough?

Actually that appraisal of Mert is not just about last night — I think he has been like that since he joined us, and I know many would disagree with me — but it is an opinion that has taken root in my mind over an extended number of games, and is not just a ‘knee jerk’ reaction.

Giro is still trying too hard to please, but he will come good, and his part in Jack’s superb goal is testament to that! 🙂

Theo got close and was simply unlucky not to score yesterday on three ocassions, where Giroud looked awkward and technically below par. He works hard and that goes a long way, but I am still not convinced OG has enough quality to make it. It is only early days, and the Frenchman just needs to play all the time and hopefully he gets better and better, but for me the jury remains out.

Of course Theo did not score so he does not deserve high praise, but I could see he was whiskers away from a hat-trick yesterday. This formation really, really suited him and I have no doubt he will be scoring goals again very soon.

We needed Diaby and Coquelin to work so close together for Jack; just like Jack and Arteta do when Santi is playing higher up. But the difference between Santi and Jack was clear last night: the latter drives more from the centre and is more willing and able to go past players to get to the box: this creates space and opportunities and with his passing he is able to pick out a player or go for it himself. Santi on the wing is also great as he is an intelligent and capable player, who can add value whereever he plays or is.

Good points about Mertesacker, Redders. He definitely is not the bees knees, but still our best defender. We need his organisational skills badly and both TV/Koz and Sagna should cover for his obvious weaknesses. He is the sort of player who gets better the longer he plays in succession, but he is definitely not irreplaceable.

It just amazes me how good Jack is with the ball at his feet. He must have good core strength and stability because he turns and takes off leaving his opponent in wake every time. It’s something that cesc did also. They both aren’t quick players but they make speedsters look very slow when marking them.

@ RA

I agree, Diaby is a phenomenal athlete. I just don’t know how many more chances he can have, it’s taking a spot from another player. Fair enough if he completed over half the season but he never does. My fingers are crossed also, he deserves to have a long and fruitful career!

Well said RA. My biggest worry is what happens when Per starts to slow down even more. As you stated his positioning and experience keeps him in good stead, but if his speed drops further due to ageing he will only decline as a defender. Gallas was a quick defender who lost his speed towards the end of his career, but his experience kept him in the game and he adapted. I think per is the type of defender verm and koz need beside them though. He should stay around long enough for Miquel to slot in his place

Thats right, that just amazes me though! He looks like he’s quicker than he actually is because of his short legs but I could be mistaken. He is very quick off the mark though.
I can’t see an article saying Jack is quick other than a persons opinion on bleacher report.

Diaby is a top player, most people just don’t know how good he is because he keeps getting injured. This is reminding me of a certain RVP situation, some people were saying we should sell him because he’s injury prone 18 months later they got their wish. I think we should sign Diaby up on a long term deal quickly.

what if he continues on getting injured? Just because it happened once doesn’t mean it will happen again. In a perfect world we’d love to see him stay fit but a pay as you play contract would be more suited. Imagine if we offered him a 3 year deal for 60k a week and he had to retire due to persistent injuries after a year! Heads would roll!

how much longer can we see though TA, surely he is almost at last chance saloon?

Shitty won’t, they experimented with Hargreaves and it didn’t work. Chavs also like the good to go players. I’m sure if we got rid of him it would be because we exhausted all options. Arsene isn’t one to give up on players

All agreed Oz, I am just saying it is not an easy decision to make. I would rather we get a beast of a DM now and see how Diaby does over the next few months. I would dread it if Arsene does not buy because Diaby is now fit again…. It is likely to be a recipy for disaster. 😦

Hi guys,
TG – good report. The players stood up and actually earnt their wages this week. Ok, it should never have come down to a 86th mnute winner from Jack the Lad. We are simply being too wasteful. This will come back and bite us on the ass against other teams.
Giroud needs to play up top more often, The guy has the potential to be a high scoring striker if given consistent starts. He shows heart and always chases back to help out in midfield. This is something that Theo does not do enough.Just look at the game against Man$hitty, the mentally was, i’m a striker, i will stnad up forward and wait for the balls to land at my feet, he never chased back.
Coq has the potential and like Jack he is the energiser bunny and here is the old dillemma: Diaby
Can this guy get a good run of games??? This guy can make a difference to our team, i do hope that he recovers like the skunk that left us (we all know who he is) and has a couple of seasons injury free. It really is a snowball effect, because of the way he played today, AW may be satisfied and will not buy a back up player. New signing anyone?? until he breaks down again and we become lighter on options.
Overall a much more satisfying display. Lets take this performance to Chel$ki and improve on it

Agreed we were too wasteful last night. But the longer this formation plays together the better drilled they all become and especially Theo was a tat unlucky with his finishing (post and line clearance/almost handball/pen).

Here is a question for you: should Theo use all his energy to chase balls, or to run the line to await a through-pass; and vice-versa what would be the best thing to do for Giroud?

I want them to play togehter, and become an awesome pairing: it will take a while but once they get going there is nobody stopping them I reckon, as they have absolutely everything you need in a strikeforce: speed, strength, hold-up play, fox in the box, etc etc. WIth Cazorla, Wilshere, Diaby (??), Arteta and even young Coquelin we have players who can pick them out from anywhere… 🙂

Hi TA,
They will get better over time, i do believe in this as well but as we know The Arsenal do not have the luxury of time. He was a bit unlucky with the line clearance but he did all the hard work only for his shot to be off target. I know that everyone is entitled to miss but Theo needs to work on his finishing. I know he wants to play a central role but if you look at most of his goals, they do come form the right. Lets play Theo and Giroud up front with Theo on the right.

To answer your question, Theo should chase a bit more, he needs to add that dimension into his game ala Giroud. We all know Giroud is more capable of holding the ball and looking for options but Theo will get there. As for him running out of energy, i believe that he is capable of the extra running as he demonstrates as a winger. I also feel he responds better when he is running as opposed to waiting for the through pass. He is a natural runner and i do believe that he is capable of picking up on that aspect of his game

“For once I’m with RA” was obviously typed tongue in cheeky, that you took it literally indicates only your own failure to observe my past comments agreeing with you. Furthermore you’ve failed to notice my criticism of La Liga’s fixed (by TV money) two horse race, and my critique of the rest of the clubs in La Liga for passively allowing the Spanish TV company’s to dictate to them. Particularly their exclusive interest in airing predominantly Real and Barca games. No one on this blog (rightly so, it’s an Arsenal blog) is particularly interested in La Liga, nevertheless I’ve voiced my views on the ridiculous (as I see it) bail out of Real Madrid by the Spanish government.

All of those views were solely to compare the patriarchal oligarch system with that of patriarchal political system as practised in Spain. Principally with regard to Real who are given every assistance possible, by the main Spanish Government in Madrid, that the semi autonomous provincial Government in Catalonia chooses to follow their lead in order (as they see it) to even things up, is obviously a matter for the Spanish (including currently Catalonia). All of the above cannot nor does not detract (IMHO) from La Masia Barca’s academy it’s simply a choice between buying ready made off the shelf products or develop those products in house “a la Jack”. The Academy’s with their in house developments are the only way to counter act those with more money than sense currently distorting the EPL.

I know who you mean and I have had similar discussions with this blogger on that site, and I rate his football knowledge very highly – as I do yours ooh wise one. The fact is he is right in saying Jack can do the DM role; he can, but just as much Nigella as would probably be good at keeping the house tidy and running like a clockwork, she would still be wasted anywhere else than in front of the camera cooking finger and lips licking food. 🙂

Hello fellow glorious Gooners 🙂
Now that’s more like the Arsenal we all know and love!
Thanks for the match-report, Gooner, I listened to it on 5Live.
I’m sure a couple of us on here were saying try Cazorla out wide, and it seemed to work a treat. As I heard it on the radio, we bossed the game almost from start to finish, and that is very encouraging. Diaby’s had two games and is still standing, and Wilshere led by example.
Brilliant.
Chelsea’s last three home games:
QPR – 0-1
Swansea – 0-2
So’ton – 2-2 (after leading 2-0)
That has to offer us all some hope, doesn’t it.
I can’t leave without a little gripe, I know you’ve all come to expect it of me, and I don’t want to disappoint. Theo Walcott please don’t sign ‘da ting’, you are just not good enough for Arsenal. And going back to yesterday, I have concerns about the potency of our attacking unit. If we take out the games against Southampton (h), Tottenham (h), Reading (a), and Newcastle (h), it leaves 17 games with only 17 goals, 3 at West Ham and 2 at Liverpool reduces it further to only 12 goals in 15 games. This definitely needs addressing.

Hi Alex, I can see your points, and yes he should improve on hunting down more. I reckon he needs to play with another striker to be most effective. He was unlucky with the clearance and with the header that hit the post, but he was in the right position and that was just as important. He should have scored when one on one with Vorm, but he got a slight push and I reckon he was caught in two mind re falling over or continuing.

A striker needs to score in order to be appreciated, and he did not do that yesterday. So not good enough, but when I see people wanting to give him a ‘3’ for his performance then I simply despair! 😈

I am infamous for my poor attempts at humour. (You may have noticed?) 🙂

You are a very knowledgeable and well respected blogger, and I do take note of your comments, of course.

I was only being flippant, a bit like the British comedienne who says “I’m not bovvered”.
Sorry if I have missed the target again, certainly no offence was intended – I had better not give up the day job!! 🙂

It seems we are actually in agreement on the dreadful distortions in football, and I was only trying to explain to my friend, Herb, why the ‘problems’ he mentions are not within the gift of Arsenal alone to cure.

We do have our own problems at Arsenal, he is right, but being pushed out of the ‘elite’ trophy seeking clubs in the EPL or the CL is just a fact of life – as I see it.

Sadly, I agree with you regarding Theo. (Not sad because I agree with you) 🙂 but because he is only OK but no more than that, and I wish he were.

TA, I think another forward – Demba Ba, would have had a hat trick last night.
Theo did not even get his head on the cross from Sagna – he missed it completely, and it was the cross that took the ball onto the post.

The melee in the Swans penalty area, at the end when the ball eventually came to him, he tamely hit it against the defender, and altho’ he claimed handball, it clearly came off the chest.

I cannot tell you how much it pains me to be on opposite sides of the fence to you on this, altho I am not totally opposed to Theo (and he was worth a 6 last night) it is just that I want more for Arsenal than he currently offers.

It’s ok to disagree Redders. He glanced the ball onto the post and his effort was powerful, and almost handball. Next game they will go in, such is football, Theo’s GS record this season is good. He played 24 games and has 24 assists/goals and that is what we should be judging him on.

I want him to sign though as this saga has been going on for far too long.

@ The G Sorry I’m late with the congrats, good write up Gooner.
I liked and enjoyed GoonerB’s match summery on AA but I think you got the player ratings a lot closer to how I saw them.

@RA 1st things first;
Arsene needs to pull a rabbit from his magic hat again if he’s to keep us in the CL places this season. Next up for his greatest ever challenge proving you and Herb wrong 😀

I’ve said this many times and it ties in directly with what you’ve been saying to dear old Herbie. If Mr Wenger manages to win the EPL again despite all the financial doping stacked against him it will be more than magic. If David vs. Goliath was written up as a miracle what’s David vs. the 3 goliaths have been?

Jack Wilshere was magnificent. I was a bit nostalgic last night so wathed some Vids of Liam Brady on that youtube thingy. Jack realy reminds me of him, basicly taking the piss out of the opposition.

I would like to see Jack smile more. it must be very difficult been a brutish defender and having someone take the micky out of you that dosnt even acknowledge your crapness.

A quick wink or a “did you enjoy that” as he effortlesly glides past them would be ok. If he wants to go a step further then when he scores on the weekend he could jump on checs back and simulate some thrusts on him. hahaha

Anyway enough of all this banging on about how good Jack was, and he was brilliant! ( Brilliant covers it I guess) 😀 who are we signing? Dennis! I suffered 86 minutes of pure tension yesterday, but there’s still 2 bloody weeks of this crap to go. At the moment I think I’d prefer an Arsene cop out like his now Diaby is fit we don’t need to sign anyone type of crap at least (he’d put me out of my misery) I wouldn’t have to keep checking just in case. Mind you if he said no signing I’d probably still keep checking until the window closed in case he was bluffing.:D 😀 this is no way to live I swear!

Thank you TG19 fine report, cant comment on the rating`s as I only saw the highlight`s, I will watch the whole game later on player !.
AW saying it looks 99% that Theo will sign, personally, I hope so. The boy has the vital ingredients of pace, finishing, coolness to outweigh his deficiencies and is just a lovely lad .
I have never heard the rumours to be so strong as to that we are going to spend some big bucks !. I like Zaha and know of him, but for all the Vids Oz and TG19 have posted , I havn`t seen one of Cavani and have no idea what sort of player he is !. I would love Goetze to be a strong rumour as we did make an offer in the past to the best of my knowledge.
It seems like Coq` had a good game according to the net and like Oz, I like this kid.
I have said this many a time, We already have £50m player and that is Jack , Strachan said what I believe last night, ” Jack would get into the Barca Team “, how many others in the Prem` could you say the same about ? , not many !. This boy is gong to be in the top 3 players in the world in the not too distant future and it`s great that we have him tied down for a while, by the time he comes up for another extention FFP will be in full swing and we will be in the position to tell the likes of City to f**k off ( if I`m wrong , blame the infectious Stretch , as I will !. hahaha ) !.

Whoever that blogger is (no doubt one who has a fetish for eating Arsenal merchandise) was terribly wrong. You, TA, and myself have been banging on about it for yonks. Obviously you had the inside scope! Once i saw that goal when he was 16 I knew it was love at first site! So did Arsene when he smiled from ear to ear!

Hi Redders, satisfied more than happy, 🙂
We did last night what we should always do to clubs like Swansea.
It should act as a catalyst from which to build momentum for a stirring second-half to the season, continuing at Chelsea, on Sunday.
It was a performance to take a lot of heart from, and one which offers a ray of light. My under-lying concern is our lack of goals.

Herb`s. did you listen to Keys and Gray on talkSPORT today between 12:30 – 13:00 ?. I only heard about the last 20mins and it was SuperMac talking about his transfer to Arsenal, about going to meet Sir Dennis Hillwod etc, you will be able to re-listen via the web tomorrow. K&G have some great interviews on their show, despite Dr Van Cloggenstein calling it talkshite !. hahaha

Hi GliC, I switched over to TalkSPORT just as it finished, so missed it. SuperMac was great, such a shame his career got cut so short, we only had two seasons out of him.
I think he started out as a full-back at Luton before finding fame in the coveted Number 9 at Newcastle.

This is why I love this site; you’re all a treat to be around and always have encouraging comments on articles! I also enjoy the insightful feedback you all leave :). As for disagreeing with my ratings, everyone has their own assessments of what a player deserves and it’s good to have different perspectives as it spurns further discussion. I may have been generous since I was thrilled to have played the way we did over 90 mins compared to our last few games out.

Before I start replying to everyone’s posts individually, I should warn you all to not get too excited about the prospect of signing Cavani. While I would absolutely love to have him in our squad, I just can’t see AW splashing out that sort of cash. He had the chance to sign another striker in Ba, but claimed that he already had Giroud and has faith in Theo that he will become as good as Henry. From the sounds of it, it appears AW will keep his faith in his current group and I can only see him strengthening the midfield and defence in this TW (if he elects to keep Cazorla out wide).

First off, love your name. He is my favourite past Arsenal player! In regards to your assessment of Theo, I think you’re being overly harsh. I saw a determined man running back and fulfilling his defensive responsibilities and an individual who was trying to make things happen on the field. Players will always have days where they struggle to score and we must keep in mind that Theo was getting himself in places to score and not an invisible presence on the pitch.

@RA, thank you for the fine comment :). I definitely may have been a little more generous than usual with my player ratings, but hey I’m happy at the result and the way we played. If we had scored a couple more goals I’d be even happier, but I’ll take a win that was well deserved anyday.

@ TA, as always, you are a class act and thank you for your comments and for replying to others in my place. You captured my mentality behind my player ratings accurately and I find it difficult to rate players harshly on a day that we won and did almost everything right.

I was originally of the same opinion on OG and thought he was fairly pedestrian on the night. However, I spoke to numerous friends after the match and they were all impressed with how he played. I re-watched the game last night before finishing the article and was also rather pleased with his performance. He always gives maximum effort and a lot of the work he does on the pitch goes unnoticed. For example, those turnovers he eventually produces or the little movements that open up space for others. In either case, it’s as you say – let’s give him a run of games to see if he comes good before being overly critical on the lad.

@ lance, it’s completely ok to disagree and my ratings were perhaps slightly inflated because of the euphoric state I had been in after a very satisfying result. Sure, we could have won by more goals but almost every player did what was asked of them and we dominated most of that game. Aside from finishing, it was near impossible to find faults with most of their performances and I wholeheartedly disagree with your comment on Coquelin, Diaby and Cazorla.

Coq was great over a full 90 considering he never really starts or gets more than 10 mins in sub appearances and was contributing at both ends of the pitch.

Diaby was also excellent on both ends of the pitch and nearly looked as good as he did against Liverpool earlier in the year. He really commanded the midfield, evident by Swansea’s lack of possession and attempts on goal. It’s also worth mentioning that he likely would have scored in the 1st half if Bartley had not blocked his cross crease effort on goal.

Cazorla was more influential yesterday than in the past 5 or so matches (since his hattrick vs. Reading). A lot of the creative burden was taken off his shoulders and he was more involved with his interchanging movements with Jack. Defensive contributions from an attacking player of his skill are always welcomed and he’s simply a joy to watch. He always finds an escape route in tight spaces and his ball control is/(and yesterday it was) sublime.

@ henry, thank you for kind feedback. I agree with everything you say and was thrilled with Jack’s performance yesterday! My gut instinct says we’ll draw with Chelsea, but if we can find consistency and play as we did against Swansea yesterday, I think we could definitely beat them. In regards to your formation, I’m now not quite sure where Podolski fits in. He has been excellent with Gibbs on the left at times this year, but he’s not creative enough to complement a speed player like Theo on the right. In my opinion, the only combination that works with Podolski on the left is Ox on the right, but unfortunately that means playing Jack further back in the midfield and Santi occupying the hole. If it weren’t for Theo’s “striker” demands, then I’d be happy seeing Podolski rotate with OG and get more playing time through the middle.

Cornwall,i met Super Mac once, lovely bloke. Better than my meeting with Charlie Nick, who i was forced to punch in the face. He was wearing leather trousers at the time so probably deserved it. hahaha

TheGooner – top post! Very generous ratngs, but hey,, let’s enjoy it while we can!
i still think that it was criminal to miss so many opportunities, at one stage I had a numbing feeling that we are going to lose that game. Glad,, very glad we won, we deserved it.

Chavs are for takings this weekend; the club has now become an official joke. Any speculations of Pep going to Chelsea were followed by comments questioning a posibility of a guy with high standards wanting to go to Stamford Bridge. Lovely, music to my ears

I think your ratings are fine. Everyone has a subjective view of these things, and that’s the way it should be, as you said.

It makes sense to carry on as you are. Consistency is the key in all things and the same applies with ratings. If you changed and gave everyone a point or two lower, we would think the worst. If I gave the same (lower) ratings they would think I was being generous!! 😀
In fact my lower rating and your higher rating probably reflect our agreement!! 😀

You do your thing — it’s very refreshing to have different perspectives! 🙂

Dont like snow TA, had a very nasty experience couple of years back. Some kids were pelting me with snow balls and then i got one full in the face. They went crazy “bullseye”, “take that piss face” and then “look, the freaks hairs falling off”.

Anyway i lost it, so started chasing after them, not a good idea when the streets are like an ice rink. i ended up skidding to the floor and for the first and only time in my life ended up doing the splits.

Thing was, i was in agony and couldnt move. Luckily a neigbour came and saw me to my house. After that i was in bed four days straight, i simply couldnt walk, and it took a good 10 days or so before i could move without resembling an arse victim. hahahaha

One thing that I was not impressed with were fans singing Dennis’ ‘Walking in the Wonderland’ for Jack at the end of the game. Hm…I adore Jack, think he is the future, but he ain’t Dennis and the song should remain DB’s own

Hi Redders, now and again i still get the odd twinge (hahaha). It was realy painful. Mrs Terry wanted to call a doctor but i was to embarresed. I just lay on the bed for four days cursing those kids.

If someone ever snowball attacks you, even if he wig comes off, just laugh it off. Any sudden movements and you could spend days in bed, legs locked in an outstretched position, and fretting wether society would accept a human starfish.

I have probably already told you that I once met Super Mac too, long after he had retired — and I had never seen him play in the flesh – so to speak.

We were flying to Los Angeles, (or it might have been Miami – easy mistake to make! 🙂 ) and the ‘plane got diverted to Bangor, Maine.

He recognized me and …………………. hell no, that’s not quite right 🙂 I recognised him, and he was with his family. “Hi big fella”, he said, “can you help me with my wife’s hand luggage?’ so of course I told him to eff off.
No I didn’t — I glowed with happiness that he had deigned to speak to me, and I sucked up to him something awful. “Of course your magnificence”, I said, “I would do anything for you, because I saw you and your trusty left foot banging them in left right and center”.

“That’s odd” he said, “I usually prefer a hammer, because those nails can hurt your foot!”

“No, no, I am a Gooner, and I love you, Super Mac! All those goals and stuff”.
“Gedd outa here” he said “you’re a damned Yankee. Who put you up to that?”

Well, I helped him and we had a drink together in the lounge, and then his ‘phone went crazy – he apologised and disappeared off to take the call(s), I went for a pee, and that was the last I saw of him.

Come to think of it, I don’t really remember it all that well now, 😀 as I got sloshed in the lounge while delayed for two hours, and then had more on the flight (first class is free booze) and when I tried to tell my girlfriend she said “who the hell is Super Mac?” — he is not well known in the US — at all!! 😛
Ahh, those were the days.

Thats a lovely story Redders. I met him in a casino after he retired. I asked him who the best player he ever played with was and he said Liam Brady. I then asked wether i could go home with him, and he told me to go away. hahahaha

@ Richie, Oz, Alex, Glic, Terry, VCC and Evonne, thank you very much for the kind words, I appreciate your comments and the additional insight. I’d respond to you each individually, but I feel as though the majority of your comments were just further brilliant insight into the game or I had answered them in my previous responses.

As for all of you debating on whether to continue to stick with Diaby, I say that you must be insane to think otherwise! The man is brilliant (obviously when healthy) and if his playing time is monitored properly, there’s no reason why he can’t get hit a run of good form. He’s so influential when he’s on the pitch and gives us a bit of steel and an aerial presence. He’s a nice complement to Arteta and having him gives us flexibility by allowing Jack to play in the advanced midfield role with Santi on the flanks. There aren’t many who are as effective at ball retention, running up and down the pitch and contributing at both ends gracefully like Diaby.

RA – sweetie is called Bambi and he comes from Cambridge and therefore is very clever. And beautful of course. He is a new addition to my collection of black dogs 🙂

I am actually excited about Pep Guardiola managing Bayern. The objective is to get Bayern play like Barcelona. Can he do it? I doubt it. Without Xabi, Iniesta, Puyol and my Cesc he will have a job and a half to get thebig Krauz moving like litte Cathalans

A few of my friends that I’ve recommended to read articles on this site, are female as well so don’t feel alone Evonne. They just have not posted comments or formally introduced themselves to the BK community yet!

I`m off to evil Orcland tomorrow, but I shall be armed with a blo-torch just in case they have evil snowmen there !. ” Freeze snowman and hands up where I can see them, put the snowballs on the floor or I shall melt you ! ”

What ever happened to the ” Cuckoo Club ” ?. hahaha

Just one question. How do we get tickets for the BBB ( Bergkampesque Brighton Beano ) ?

Total can be the driver
Red Arse & Terry can be our minders.
Richie can supply the beers, cos he’s rich (get it?)
Evonne can be our voluptuous waitress.
I can sit back and relax.
We can have the Laughing Gooner blaring out loud whilst chugging down to Brighton.

That`s very kind of you e va va vonne, but I`m desperate to be amongst our fantastic away fans, being the proprietor of a big gob for singing, it would be hard sitting on my hands in the Brighton end and I`m a rubbish ventrilloquist !. hahaha

Before I watch the 2nd half on player, a little advise if your thinking of having a Magnet Kitchen at half price as advertised on TV. Go in and say you are “Trade”, fill in a form and get atleast another 50% off the sale price !. Dont think they do loft conversions though Stretch !.

Ime still waiting for you guys to let me know about the home game you want to go to. You got to let me know in advance so i can sort it.

The Brighton game is difficult, but would be a right laugh. Went there when we played them in the cup in the early eighties.Looked for a party or club or someting after the game but only found a gay party in some basement. It was one of those were you could look in through the railings. Lets just say what i saw through those rails convinced me to never ever wear leather ledohosen

Despite some nice man with a moustache inviting me in, i declined the offer and ended up kipping on some disused train. In the middle of the night was woken by some strange groaning coming from the next carriage and looked up to see a peering face looking in my direction. I tried to warn him that i was trained in shititsue, and that if he ventured into my space i would be forced to use it, but he ignored my threats and continued his groaning.

After a while, i thought sod it and fell asleep again, allowing him to groan away. When i woke in the morning he was gone, probably to that basement party. hahaha

VCC, I am definitely from out of the country, you were not incorrect to assume that. I just wish wanted to feel invited and was wishing I could partake in the festivities. Sounds like it’ll be an amazing time, I hope it all works out!